SJD Program Admissions

How do you apply to the Doctor of Juridical Science program?

This page outlines the admission requirements to our Doctor of Juridical Science program.

Application Deadlines for the 2026-2027 Academic Year

Application System opens: September 15, 2025 (10:00am EST)

Application Deadline: Friday, February 6, 2026 (11:59pm EST)

Decision Release: late March/early April.

Please note that ALL documents, including reference letters, must be submitted by the application deadline in order for an application to be considered. It is the applicant's responsibility to communicate to their referees the specific deadlines of the round for which they are applying. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted!

Admission Standards

The admission standards listed below are minimum requirements. Admission to our SJD program is incredibly competitive and meeting admission requirements does not guarantee admission. Please note that as a result of its competitive entry, the SJD program does not tend to admit applicants who do not meet minimum admission requirements.

SJD program
Applicants to the SJD program must hold a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD) and a Master of Laws (LLM) from recognized universities with an excellent academic record. Applicants must have achieved the equivalent of a University of Toronto B+ standing in their Master of Laws.
If you are still in the process of completing your LLM at the time of application, the grades from the final year of your LLB or JD will be averaged along with the grades available for your LLM.
Please note: Grades from other degrees obtained will be reviewed, but the admitting degree for the SJD program are those obtained during your LLM.
SJD Direct-Entry Program
Applicants to the SJD Direct-Entry program (i.e., admission to the SJD program without having completed a LLM degree) must have achieved a minimum A- average in their Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD) in order to be eligible for admission.
Please note: Grades from other degrees obtained will be reviewed, but the admitting grades for the SJD Direct-Entry program are those obtained during your LLB or JD.
International Equivalencies
International applicants can compare their grades to the University of Toronto’s standard using the School of Graduate Studies’ International Degree Equivalencies Tool, which lists qualifications from a number of educational systems around the world. The academic standings listed within this tool are normally accepted as equivalent to a University of Toronto mid-B grade average, if the degree obtained was awarded from a recognized university. 
Applicants must demonstrate, through substantive writing, their ability to engage in and generate high-level thought and quality research.
Substantive writing can take the form of a masters thesis, publications, or research papers completed in courses.
As described below, you will be required to submit a writing sample as part of your application. We recommend that you submit a writing sample that is representative of your research and writing abilities. In addition, we encourage you to sick reference letters from referees who are able to comment on research and writing you have completed under their supervision (broadly defined, i.e.: thesis supervisor, course instructor, judge, etc...).
As English is the primary language of instruction and communication at the University of Toronto, applicants must demonstrate an adequate level English language proficiency. Applicants must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application, unless one of the exceptions listed below applies.
a) Testing Services

Several English language testing services are acceptable. Please note that tests must have been written within the 24 months preceding the date of application to the SJD program.
- TOEFL (including TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition): 600 with a TWE of 5 on the paper-based scale; 100 on the internet-based test with at least 24 in each section.
- IELTS Academic: 7.5 overall with at least 7.0 in each component
- CAEL: 70 overall with at least 70 in each section
- COPE: 86 overall with at least 22 in both Listening and Reading, 40 in Writing, and 7 in TOP (speaking, if applicable)
- Cambridge English Qualifications:191 overall with at least 185 for each section
- U of T School of Continuing Studies - English for Academic Purposes Course : Grade of A in Level 60
Language requirements must be met at the time an application is submitted. The Faculty of Law does not extend offers of admission that are conditional on successful completion of an English language proficiency test.
b) Exemptions

You are not required to submit proof of proficiency in English if you meet one of the following conditions:
- Native language is English (language first learned and still used on a daily basis).
- Canadian citizen who studied at a Canadian university where the language of instruction is French.
- Obtained your admitting degree from an institution recognized by the University of Toronto and where the language of instruction and examination is uniformly English. Please note that for this exception to apply you must provide with an official academic transcript with your application that confirms that the language of instruction and examination of your admitting degree was English.
  If the official academic transcript does not have this note, please make arrangements for an official statement to be sent from your institution directly to gradadmissions.law@utoronto.ca. The statement should confirm the use of English as the primary language of instruction and examination for your admitting degree. 
- Completed your admitting degree in one of the following countries/regions: Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Botswana, Ghana, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
  Some applicants from the above mentioned countries/regions may be required to provide proof of English proficiency as English is not the sole language of instruction at all universities.

To be eligible for the SJD, you must:

⇢ have an excellent academic record:

SJD: have a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD) and a Master of Laws (LLM), and obtained a B+ standing in the Master of Law.

SJD Direct-Entry: have Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD) with a minimum A- average overall and in the final year.

⇢ demonstrate the ability to engage in and generate high-level thought and quality research.

⇢ demonstrate an adequate level English language proficiency.

Application Steps

The application process is completed online through the School of Graduate Studies Application Management system.

You will first need to create an application on the system. You must complete and submit the application form before being able to access the application portal where you can pay the application fee and upload the required supporting documents (see below).

There is a $130 (CAD) application fee which must be paid in order to proceed with your application. Please ensure you are applying to the correct program before submitting your payment. This application fee is non-refundable, non-transferable, and cannot be waived. Payment must be made online using a Visa or Mastercard. Debit payments will not be accepted.

Download Detailed Application Instructions

General application instructions may also be found on the School of Graduate Studies’ “How to Apply” webpage

Questions?
If you have any questions regarding the SJD application process please email us at: gradadmissions.law@utoronto.ca.

Reference Letters Key Details:

The Recommendations section of the application form will require you to enter your referees' name and official contact information. They will receive an email prompting them to submit a letter of reference as soon as you enter their information.

⇢ Do not add more than 2 referees: If more than 2 referees are added only the first two reference letters submitted will be considered.

⇢ Do not enter non-institutional email addresses for your referees (i.e. gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc…): Reference letters submitted via a non-institutional email address are not admissible and the application will be considered incomplete.

See the Letters of Reference section below for more information.

Supporting Documents

The document list below is exhaustive, please do not add any additional documents! The Admissions Committee will not consider any unsolicited documents, and all such documents will be deleted from the admission system in order to ensure equity between applicants.

If multiple versions of one document are uploaded to the admission system, the most recent version will be considered, and earlier versions deleted.

Any forms which must be completed are available through the application system for download and completion.

All applicants must upload electronic versions of their transcripts from each university attended on the application system.
Transcript(s) are required from ALL post-secondary institutions attended – for all studies started, completed or attempted, even if no degree was awarded. This includes transfer credits, exchanges or courses taken on letter of permission, even if not used toward your degree.
If a transcript includes a grading scheme legend, please also include the legend with the scanned transcript. Please note that transcripts must be as complete as possible. Do not omit information about any year of study/courses completed.
For applicants currently in the process of completing their final year of study, an interim transcript needs to be submitted.
All foreign language transcripts must be translated into English through an official translator. Exception: French is an official language of Canada and we therefore do not require English translations of transcripts in French.
Applicants who are required to provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application will need to upload an official scan of their English Language Proficiency test scores on the application system. All scores must be uploaded by the document deadline.
In addition, applicants must also arrange for the testing agency to submit their official test score directly to the University of Toronto (Enrolment Services office).
- The TOEFL institution code for U of T is 0982. There is no need to specify a department.
- For IELTS, you should select “University of Toronto (Undergraduate and Graduate programs)” from the list of options. The University of Toronto (Undergraduate and Graduate Programs) is an IELTS “STED RO”. This means that we subscribe to the electronic score-sending service and do not accept paper results. You may wish to advise your test centre, specifically, that U of T is an STED RO when you make your request to have your scores sent to us. You do not need to notify U of T once you have ordered your test results. U of T receives IELTS results on an ongoing basis.
If this requirement is not applicable to you, it will be waived when your online application is reviewed. There is no need to contact SGS or the faculty of law to get this requirement waived.
Applicants must submit a personal statement (3 pages maximum).
The Faculty of Law receives more than 100 application to our SJD program every year. From that, we will admit five to six students. The personal statement is your opportunity to tell the Admissions Committee more about you as a candidate for one of these spots, including why you wish to pursue doctoral studies at our law school, your academic and scholarly accomplishments (not all of which will be obvious in other aspects of your application), any co-curricular, professional or volunteer opportunities in which you have been engaged, particularly those engagements that are related to/have informed your development as a scholar, and any leadership positions* you may have held.
*Leadership can take many forms: volunteerism, mentorship, excellence in sports or the arts, employment in leadership positions, and other areas.
The writing sample must demonstrate the applicant's ability to engage in, and generate, substantive thought and research.
Examples of acceptable samples include:
- The introduction, first chapter and conclusion of an LLM thesis (or a portion of it, if it is still in progress) with endnotes/citations.
- A publication in a journal with endnotes/citations. Please note that co-authored publications are not admissible.
- An academic paper that satisfied a writing requirement for a course, which is based on the applicant's own research with endnotes/citations (including, where possible, the name of the course for which it was submitted and the grade it attracted).
The writing sample must be in English.
Applicants must submit a 5 to 10 page thesis proposal indicating what issues they plan to examine in their thesis, why they think it is worth studying, and what approach they expect to take in their analysis. Applicants should address the following in their proposal:
- the proposed research question, methodology, and theoretical orientation
- body of scholarship with which the student intends to engage in their research and
- a bibliography or reference list.
Two academic letters of reference are required. If you cannot obtain academic references, and will be submitting professional references instead, please briefly explain why in your personal statement.
You will need to provide the name and contact information of the people from whom you wish to solicit reference letters on the application form. The system will automatically email an electronic submission request to each referee once their information is entered on the system. It is highly recommended that you contact your referees ahead of time to ensure that they are willing to provide a reference letter by the document deadline.
Refrain from soliciting references from peers, co-workers or direct reports. Personal references are also ineligible (e.g. friends, family members, etc.).
Important:
- Do not add more than 2 referees - if more than 2 referees are added only the first two reference letters submitted will be considered, any additional letters will not be reviewed.)
- You need to provide your referees' institutional email address (i.e. @university.com or @company.com). Personal email addresses are not accepted (i.e gmail.com, yahoo.com, mail.com, etc.) . If one of your referees (or both) does not have an institutional email address, you will need to email gradadmissions.law@utoronto.ca and provide a link to an official institutional webpage that confirms that your referee is employed by the institution and that the personal email address provided is, in fact, official. If that is not an option either, your referee will have to send us a hard copy reference letter on official letterhead. The hardcopy letters must be received by the document deadline. Reference letters submitted via a non-institutional email addresses which have not been verified are not admissible and the application will be considered incomplete.
- Reference letters submitted by applicants will not be accepted and the application will be considered incomplete.
Reference Letter Content:

Referees are not provided with a template letter to complete. They will also be asked to answer a series of questions related to your academic abilities and submit a letter commenting on your ability to:
- Conduct independent research (searching for and organizing relevant material);
- Analyze and criticize the positions of others;
- Develop your own arguments;
- Produce original work

Post-application

Funding

The Faculty offers financial support (academic tuition plus living stipend) each year for the first three years of study to all doctoral students who have not secured external or university-wide awards (e.g. SSHRC, OGS, Vanier).

Applicants do not need to apply for funding, as financial support is offered to all admitted students.

For more detailed information regarding fees and financing, please visit our Financial Aid & Fees webpage.

Collaborative Specializations

SJD students are eligible to enroll in a variety of Collaborative Specializations. These collaborative specializations are the result of cooperation between two or more graduate units, e.g., faculties, departments, centres, or institutes. They provide students with the opportunity to pursue specialized subject interests or special developments within particular disciplines. For more information, please visit our Collaborative Specialization webpage.

SJD Program Admissions

How do you apply to the Doctor of Juridical Science program?

Application Deadlines for the 2026-2027 Academic Year

Admission Standards

Academic Requirements

High Quality Research

English Proficiency Requirements

To be eligible for the SJD, you must:

Application Steps

Reference Letters Key Details:

Supporting Documents

Transcripts

English Language Score If applicable

CV

Personal Statement

Writing Sample

Thesis Proposal

International (Educational) Credential Evaluation Optional

Reference Letters Submitted directly by referees

Post-application

Application Status Check

Review process

Notification of decisions

Funding

Collaborative Specializations